Holywell Green to Gosport Clough Fungi Survey

Several days worth of rain followed by a fine and pleasant Saturday resulted in another fantastic trip to what is fast becoming one of the best sites in Yorkshire to see grassland fungi. 

The strategy to maximise our chances of finding the most fungi was to form a line with a couple of yards between each other and slowly progress forwards. 

It worked very well most of the time but as you can see here everybody easily became distracted by the never ending supply of interesting finds 

(Photo by Steve Blacksmith).

Another of Steve's photos looking from Gosport Clough back towards Holywell Green.

Star of the show for many was this Powdercap Strangler (Squamanita paradoxa). 

It's one of our most remarkable mushrooms which is parasitic on the Earthy Powdercap (Cystoderma amianthinum).

It takes over the host and replaces the cap and gills with it's own but retains the original stipe,

creating in effect a hybrid between the two. You can clearly see the joint between the two species.

The only book I could find it in says it to be extremely rare!

This one was suspected to be another rarity - Hygrocybe lacmus

but on further examination it now appears to be a Yellow Foot Waxcap (Hygrocybe flavipes).

The lack of yellow base to the stipe prevented a more immediate diagnosis.

Still quite a rare Waxcap by all accounts.

A more "run of the mill" rarity was the now expected Violet Coral (Clavaria zollingeri)

which became even rarer when I inadvertently stepped on one clump :-(

A more common but equally stunning fungi was this Crimson Waxcap (Hygrocybe punicea)

one of four waxcap species new to me on the day.

It has to be said that without Peachysteve's knowledge and experience many of the most interesting fungi would have gone unidentified including this Oily Waxcap (Hygrocybe quieta).

The same could be said about this Orange Waxcap (Hygrocybe aurantiosplendens).

A nice group of Heath Waxcaps (Hygrocybe laeta) in the sunshine.

This tiny Ivory Bonnet (Mycena flavoalba) was my sixth new species for the trip.

An easy one to miss were these ubiquitous Hymenoscypha fagineus on fallen beechmast husks. 

Much more easy to find was this slug-eaten but picture worthy Bolete - possibly Red Cracking Bolete.

My little colony of very rare Yorkshire moths - the Lichen Case-bearer is doing well judging by this mammoth count of 17 larval cases in just one small section of wall.

Autumn Crocus walk with Julian

Last Saturday (September 21st) we were led by Julian on our annual Autumn Crocus walk in the Bradshaw area of Halifax. Here are a few photos from that day.

Slender blooms can be easily blown over in the September winds.

Just a small portion of the host at Strine's Beck. We estimated about 1000 blooms in this field! This year there seemed to be more than usual.

3 beauties

A solitary bloom in the sunlight - with attendant insect.

The shadow of the stigma on the outer petals attracted me to this. Note the new bloom emerging at the base. They will continue to bloom until about the middle of October.

Showing the stigma and 2 stamens. The feathery stigma were the source of the prized saffron.

Another shot showing the shadow of the stigma on the outer petals.

We find Swallows nesting in this porch at Holdsworth House every year. This year there were 3 nests. We saw the adult coming to feed this chick although it is already capable of flying and feeding itself.

Talk on Tuesday 8th October

A Couple of Leaf Mines From Recent Walks

One each from the pond dipping walk and the fern walk:


https://calderdalemoths.blogspot.com/2019/09/a-couple-of-leafminers.html

Pond Dipping session at Cromwell Bottom Local Nature Reserve 14.9.19

We had lots of fun dipping our nets and turning stones over in the water.

This freshwater sponge was under many of the stones just below the weir on the River Calder. We had been given a tip that Crayfish could be seen there but didn't find any.

This unidentified water plant had globular growths on it. Possibly eggs of an animal, but as they were in lots of different sizes, I thought they were part of the plant. Dredged from the pond with the dipping platform near Tag Cut.

There were many of these little fish, Stone Loaches I believe, definitely a species of loach, in the Calder on a pebbly beach on Brookfoot Loop. A Kingfisher obligingly showed us how it could easily catch them, or another species of fish, very close by. 

Previously I had only seen loaches in the River Dee in North Wales.

The Pond Dipping walk was not very well attended, just five people including the leader, suggesting pond dipping isn't thought of  as an Autumn activity. The spring sessions are well attended. Apart from the specimens above, we also found many immature newts still with their feathery gills (Reuben was the champion catcher of these,) and water snails, including tiny bivalves, like miniature cockles from the sea, plus lots of insects including large Water Boatmen and Dragonfly larvae.

With many thanks to the Cromwell Bottom team who gave us access to the cabin with hot drinks/ snacks/ ultra-clean toilets and biological reference material. Much appreciated!

How does a tree branch resist gravity?

We look at tree branches without perhaps realising how they manage to support such massive weights.

It seems that Conifers and Broadleaves have evolved different solutions to the same problem but both of them use what is known as "reaction growth".

Reaction Wood forms as a response to gravity and has different cell structure to normal wood, giving it extra strength, whilst laying down much wider rings which give extra bulk. The resultant cross section is often elliptical, particularly in conifers (as seen in photo below).

Broadleaved trees produce Tension Wood on the upper side of a branch, pulling the branch upwards.

Whereas Conifers produce Compression Wood on the underside of a branch, pushing the branch upwards.

Tension Wood has more cellulose and contains a specialised gelatinous layer in the cells, which is rubbery in texture.
Compression wood produces much more lignin and this altered, stronger growth has been utilised by hunters in the American Arctic to make bow staves from trees that were otherwise unsuitable.



                   Conifer with large bulge of compressive growth below the sideways trunks

                              Ash tree showing tension wood on the upper side of this huge branch

                            Conifer adapting with compression wood pushing against gravity

Conifer with unusual growth pattern

   Conifer with lost branch showing the wider rings (compression wood) formed on the underside

Hedgehog

Recent short video from Lynn D

Talk on Tuesday 10th September

Shibden Valley 18-08-2019

Here are a few close-ups from the Shibden Valley.

Some taken yesterday but most from the Halifax Scientific Society walk on the 18th of August.

A great turn-out, 21 in all.

I for one found it fascinating to have Peachysteve teach us to identify all the plant species we could find in a single kilometre square on the map. Results to follow.

Hope everyone enjoyed the day which became slightly chaotic at times.

I'd like to do a similar route next year and again survey the same map square. 

Sorry we missed out the little talk I had planned,

sketching out the geology of the valley and its exploitation. Maybe next year!

Antitype chi, the Grey Chi moth, resting on a wall at the top of Lee Lane.

You can just see the X (the Greek letter 'chi') on its wing.

A woodland and scrub orchid, the broad-leaved helleborine, a little past its best.
Here's a quotation from the Woodland Trust's website:

'Some species of wasp and bee that are attracted to Broad-leaved Helleborines have been noted as becoming 'intoxicated' after visiting these orchids for nectar - it appears that the flowers can contain a kind of alcohol as a result of a fungus! The bees like it so much, they come back for more, ensuring the flower is pollinated.'

Woodland Trust

Rough chervil, common in many places elsewhere in the country
but Peachysteve's first record for Calderdale.

Alder tongue, a gall on the developing female catkin caused by a fungus.
The fungus, Taphrina alni, chemically induces the tree to create this structure which it inhabits.
Later, the tongue will become deep red. Spores will be released from it to repeat the life cycle.

Russula virescens, the green brittlegill

Giant Wood Wasp

Incredible Farm at Lumbutts has a photo which looks suspiciously like Greater Horntail Wasp (Giant Wood Wasp) Urocerus gigas. The NBN atlas shows no records for Calderdale. This wood boring saw fly attacks conifers and is native to North Africa. The insect is harmless despite its appearance.
The photo taken at Incredible Farm but on facebook page of Michael C Smith who works there. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10157171473706147&set=a.10156383348841147&type=3&eid=ARAC8RWaB_AlTK2fLOa1acrURL5qLuunuZoDfsZRO_KSqxDRWochACPUh-pGwj3gnB5ZMHS_LU2DsRN5Taken 6th August.

Anyone come across this insect before?

Elephant Hawk-moth caterpillar (Deilephila elpenor)

After years of searching for one these on Rosebay willowherb, this little chap crawled right past me on the pavement at Cow Green in Halifax town centre!

Crimsworth Dean Clough Scramble-3rd August 2019

Devil's-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis)

Antler moth(Cerapteryx graminis) on ragwort

Wolf's milk slime mould (Lycogala terrestre-plasmodium stage)

Looking for another route!

Fern hunting

Laurence and Sarah

Laurence studying a slime mould

Intrepid explorers!

Garden Butterflies And Moths

Late July to early August and probably my best two weeks or so of garden mothing ever.

Just wandering around my modest sized, suburban garden with a net, old Coolpix camera and head torch has produced some very interesting and exciting finds.

Around 50 species of nocturnal moths and nine butterfly species were recorded,

two of which are probably new to Calderdale.

Some highlights are - Clockwise:

Broad Bordered Yellow Underwing nectaring on the Buddleia - nice to see one feeding peacefully in the still of night rather than fighting for space in a moth trap.

Dark Green Fritillary feeding along side six Painted Ladies - rare enough out and about in the Calderdale countryside but this one was underneath my bedroom window.

True Lover's Knot - a real surprise this one, maybe the larva had fed on cultivated Heathers nearby.

Small Clouded Knot-horn (Phycitodes saxicola) - netted after dark - with it's need for dissection to secure an ID it re-sparked my interest in having a go myself. A very interesting and rewarding field of study in it's own right.

Azalea Leaf Miner - with just a handful of Yorkshire records I suspect it may be either overlooked, misidentified or maybe just not that strongly attracted to light.

Heart and Dart along with a Copper Underwing agg. - both feeding busily with their proboscis poking in to the Buddleia flowers.

And a Cacao Moth along with my annotated attempt at dissecting it - if you ever wondered what the reproductive bits of a micro moth moth look like then here you go :-)

Butterflies

Lots of Butterflies at Clock Face Quarry this afternoon. Peacock, Painted Lady, Large White, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell. Sadly no Clouded Yellow.

Talk on Tuesday 13th August